Rounding up the rumors and speculation about the supposed 7.85" iPad.

October has been rumored to be the month when we'll get to see Apple's answer to the low-cost, 7-inch Android tablets from the likes of Amazon and Google. Dubbed "iPad mini," the device is expected to cost between $249 and $299, and will largely be geared toward educational markets and cost-conscious consumers who have yet to be enticed by the $399 entry-point for the 10-inch iPad 2.

We don't know for sure when Apple will unveil the device to the public, but the sheer number of rumors and purported parts leaks suggest the device is real—and is coming soon. Here's a quick review of what the device might be like.

Size

The standard iPad sports a 9.7-inch diagonal, 4:3 aspect ratio screen. The iPad mini is widely rumored to maintain that same 4:3 aspect ratio, merely shrinking it down to 7.85 inches in size. That should result in a device that is approximately 35 percent smaller than the iPad overall, and presumably 35 percent lighter, too.

Enlarge/ A comparison of tablet screen sizes, including the rumored 7.85-inch iPad mini.

7-inch Android tablets have largely adopted a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. While the iPhone 5 has adopted this same aspect ratio by slightly extending the vertical pixel count over the iPhone 4 and 4S, it seems more likely that Apple will maintain the 4:3 aspect ratio for a smaller iPad, which will greatly simplify things for application developers.

Back in 2010, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously scoffed at 7-inch tablets as too small to be useful, but Apple SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall said in August that Jobs had "seemed receptive to the idea" after SVP of Internet Services Eddy Cue suggested that Apple should consider a smaller tablet in early 2011.

Internal hardware

An iPad mini will most likely be powered by the 32nm, lower-power version of the dual-core A5 processor used in the $399 iPad 2 and fifth-generation iPod touch. The iPad 2 has proven performance running with the A5, and the lower power requirements should enable the smaller device to maintain an 8–10 hour battery life. That kind of all-day run time will be particularly important for educational users as iPads are increasingly being integrated into one-to-one technology programs.

The price-busting $199 Google Nexus 7 tablet only comes with 8GB of local storage, but we expect Apple to leverage its long-term NAND flash contracts to include 16GB (Google also sells a 16GB Nexus 7 for $249). Storage will be important for the iPad mini, especially when it comes to loading these devices with interactive textbooks and storing multimedia projects for classwork. Home users will appreciate the added storage for video, audio, and apps.

Apple may offer a 3G/4G-compatible version of the iPad mini, and if so, expect to see the same Qualcomm integrated baseband as the one used in the iPhone 5. However, at these rumored low prices, it seems more likely that the iPad mini will be limited to Wi-Fi only.

Camera

The iPad mini will likely feature a FaceTime camera on the front, perhaps even the 720p FaceTime HD camera of more recent iOS devices. On the back, expect the same 5MP autofocus camera currently on the iPad 3, iPhone 4, and fifth-gen iPod touch. Shooting photos and videos has proven to be important for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, so we don't think Apple will skimp here.

Design

Purported images of the rear of the iPad mini have leaked in the past couple days. The device appears to be like a cross between the new fifth-gen iPod touch and the current iPad. On the bottom are two speaker grilles flanking Apple's new Lightning port; on the side, the usual volume buttons and mute switch. On the top, the headphone jack and power switch. The rear casing appears to be all aluminum, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas hidden behind a plastic Apple logo.

Topeka analyst Brian White cited sources within Apple's supply chain suggesting that the iPad mini may even exceed the current iPad 3 in aesthetics. "Apple did not skimp on the aesthetics of the much anticipated 'iPad Mini,'" White told AllThingsD. "In fact, we believe the 'iPad Mini' could outshine the new iPad in terms of how the device feels in a consumer's hands."

Addressing consumer appeal, Gizmodo editor Jesus Diaz argued that Apple may offer the iPad mini in different anodized colors, like the new iPod touch and iPod nano. There haven't been any rumors to this effect—and logistics of offering various colors may eat into what could be already thin profit margins—but we like the idea, too.

Price

Our own Andrew Cunningham suggested that Apple will likely price the iPad mini at $299. That's the exact same price as the new fifth-gen iPod touch, and it seems like the hardware will be largely the same. However, as Andrew noted, the iPod touch is designed to fit in a pocket, whereas an iPad mini serves a different audience. "Apple isn't too worried about a little overlap as long as its products are sufficiently differentiated," he wrote.

Others believe that Apple may push the price down as low as $249 in order to attract price-sensitive buyers and avoid ceding any more market share to the likes of the Kindle Fire HD or Nexus 7.

$299 is a great price for the rumored hardware, but $249 is even better. Since the only good business reason to release an iPad mini in today's tablet market is to widen the mass market appeal of the iPad brand, we expect Apple to go as low as it can with the price.

Availability

Mass production of the iPad mini has reportedly already begun in earnest, and the Wall Street Journal recently cited sources that claimed Apple has asked suppliers to make "more than 10 million units" in the fourth quarter. As we noted on Monday, that number suggests Apple expects a lower-cost iPad to be a big hit this holiday season.

At the same time, Apple may also release a slightly revised third-generation iPad, leveraging the new, lower-power Qualcomm LTE baseband for improved 4G network compatibility. Apple ran into some regulatory trouble in calling the wireless broadband-capable version the "iPad Wi-Fi + 4G," because the chips only work with North American LTE networks. Using the new Qualcomm chips would improve international compatibility. The revised iPad is also expected to include the new Lightning connector.

We won't know until we know

It should go without saying that none of these details are a lock until Apple actually unveils the device. What is clear, however, is that there appears to be an unusual amount of excitement for a product that Jobs himself didn't think much of only two years ago. Assuming many of the details above are accurate, how many of you plan to trade in your existing tablet for an iPad mini?

115 Reader Comments

I personally would save for an iPad 3. Tablets are in my opinion a segment of computers that are focused on portability and long battery and not specifically for heavy work on them. I use mine for personal computing and scheduling, like a versatile digital assistant. It is totally worth the money if it will be supported for at least 2 more years software wise.

That's an investment I would not mind doing. But then again perhaps I am not the target audience or the bulk of buyers.

Also, it's not a 7" device comparable to the Nexus 7 or kindle fire. It has nearly 40% more screen real estate. As others (ScifiGeek?) have said a 249 price is pure fantasy. Expect 299 - 349 even with a 1024x768 screen.

Yes, it was obviously ludicrous even before the 4" Touch came out at $299.

But after the Touch, anyone still beating that drum really should engage the rational part of their brain.

$350 seems like the most likely price point, going slightly smaller and slightly less expensive than the iPad 2 which it is will likely replace.

We don't know much, but being able to think with the rational part of our brains, and not the magical wishful thinking part, we should know that it isn't going to be $249 no matter what specs it has.

Also the rumors also pegged today as invite day.... So another rumor fail. Maybe it is just coming out with iPad 4 next year. Is iPad mini important enough to have it's own event, when all it might be is a iPad 2 replacement with similar specs.

These things will sell like crazy. I'm a long time iOS user who recently bought a Nexus tablet as a reader and to take a dip in to Android. Android is fun but this tablet is shit as Steve would say. It works but the build quality is way sub par, I've already opened it twice trying to fix the goofy loose screen. It works for what I bought it for but its not insanely great and that is the truth. I have the 16 gig version that retails for $250, I would have gladly paid $50 more for an Apple product of the same or less capacity. I'm glad I only paid $140 for the Nexus after trading in a 16 gig 3GS and 8 gig 2nd gen touch with f`d up headphone jack to the idiots at GameStop.

Seriously, Nexus could be great but there are lots of people on the net with 2nd and 3rd units that still have minor screen issues, not cool...

one short year after Jobs' passing and apple is already falling to the same mistakes of the john sculley/gil amelio years… .

back in the early days of jobs' "second coming", apple was a company without competitors…

now ? Macs are nothing special, iPods get fierce competition from low-end Android phones, iPhone is copying features from android without shame, and now even the iPad is going after the kindle fire/nexus 7 formula.

if I had any apple stock, this would be the time to short it.

I'm forbidden from making investment comments but I can say that the REST of your post displays such a blinding ignorance of lead themes / development cycles as to have been intentional or EXTREMELY infelicitous.

You are claiming that a whole range of products—say, the Retina MacBook that came out a few months ago—is humdrum because Jobs failed to put his genius on it. And yet, the screen tech would've been set in motion well before Jobs's health pulled him back from involvement. And your claim also fails to recognize that Apple has become the #1 laptop vendor in that timeframe.

In other words, your fairy tale doesn't comport with ordinary reality of the tech industry.

Apple *IS* vulnerable to disruption of their business model by low-cost, less polished competitors. But the evidence so far is that neither the Fire nor the Nexus7 will be rewarding enough to fund their firms' ability to ramp up production enough to actually compete at the BeatBuy or wherever Americans buy a device. Apple cannot be arrogant or complacent, but the whole history of the iPad to date is that it has been priced VERY aggressively versus any product that actually could match it on specs.

The only thing that kept me from buying an iPad was the size. It just isn't comfortable to use like a giant smartphone and it doesn't fit well into anything. I didn't care about price and in fact would have paid a premium for the Kindle.

I have said it before and will say it again: it would be silly for Apple to introduce an iPad Mini and muck up their product line. One of their strengths as a company has come from not chasing the low end market, which is a trap they've noted time and again led to the race-to-the-bottom mentality of their competitors.

I have said it before and will say it again: it would be silly for Apple to introduce an iPad Mini and muck up their product line. One of their strengths as a company has come from not chasing the low end market, which is a trap they've noted time and again led to the race-to-the-bottom mentality of their competitors.

They aren't competing at the low end of the market. It will be $349. The low end is $199. That is quite a difference.

The most improbable rumor about this miniPad is the sub-par screen resolution. While 1024x768 will be able to utilize the exact same software as the iPad 2, it's clear that on-screen controls will be shrunk to 65% of the area they occupy on a 9.7" screen. That's exactly the situation which required sanding paper according to the late Mr Jobs.

In actual use, this screen resolution is not bad for 7.85inch screen as it will be crisper than the iPad2. The hope is that it uses this or the new iPhone resolution to make it longer/taller. The concern is where Apple is going to cut corners other than flash size. Horrors! A TN panel instead of IPS ???!.

I have said it before and will say it again: it would be silly for Apple to introduce an iPad Mini and muck up their product line. One of their strengths as a company has come from not chasing the low end market, which is a trap they've noted time and again led to the race-to-the-bottom mentality of their competitors.

Not if those "superior minded" individuals in Cupertino thinks they can get the volumes of the low end and move it up to where they wanted it. Besides, with such high margins on their products, they can afford a lower margin product and counting on volumes to meet their revenue target. If they do not play in this space, it COULD dilute their market segments as the competition closes in from both top and bottom sides!.

One thing not mentioned in all the posts I've read here is that the consumer marketplace is not the only market Apple may be planning to penetrate with this still imaginary product. The consumer market may well be the frosting on the real cake in Apple's sights.

Everything written about the the "iPad mini" suggests an ideal tool to capture the enormous potential of the education market in a way no other device is posed to capitalize on. Taking into account the staggering potential of ebooks in mass (near universal) use in K-12 schools, a school-budget friendly device paired with the free availability of the iBooks Author tool for on-site use and publisher support for commercial releases opens the door to unimaginable sales numbers in a solutions hungry market. Educators are already well acquainted with the iPad and have developed a level of trust in the tech that no competing device can match.

Kids have the gateway drug of their iPod Touch and Mom's iPhone at their fingertips every day. They already know how to use it and love it. Reports I've read indicate that the involvement of kids in learning when using iOS tech increases dramatically as compared to their use of traditional resources.

This is a tsunami of integration waiting for a trigger. This device as imagined could well be all that is needed to "Make it so."

I have said it before and will say it again: it would be silly for Apple to introduce an iPad Mini and muck up their product line. One of their strengths as a company has come from not chasing the low end market, which is a trap they've noted time and again led to the race-to-the-bottom mentality of their competitors.

On the other hand, there's 4 flavors of iPod (including one for $49), so why not a smaller iPad?

In actual use, this screen resolution is not bad for 7.85inch screen as it will be crisper than the iPad2. The hope is that it uses this or the new iPhone resolution to make it longer/taller. The concern is where Apple is going to cut corners other than flash size. Horrors! A TN panel instead of IPS ???!.

It's not bad, but it's behind the times. The 8.9" Kindle Fire is coming with 1920x1200, and will be cheaper, with a similar footprint yet a larger screen.

I think Apple is on the right track with this device. As usual, it'll be very careful about pricing and positioning within its lineup.

Where I think Apple could really set people's hair on fire would be positioning this as their big phone. "Why buy a puny 5" Android phone when you can have an Apple iCom?!?". Before you write this off as complete lunacy, hear me out.

A 4G version would have no technical reason not to act as a phone. Clearly, this is not a device you want to hold to your ear. However, a ton of people use headsets, and Apple is working hard at voice interfaces. Why not leave your "phone" in your bag (or pocket, for those with large pockets;) and just use a headset? The major win here is not having to carry a phone _and_ a tablet.

Apple could price these fairly high, as there'd be carrier subsidies for them...

I doubt it'll happen, but if it did I think a) it'd generate a lot of buzz for the "new" Apple and b) they'd be way more popular than most people would think. I'd happily trade in my iPhone for one!

I'd be tempted by this. My iPad 2 is great, but I've found it slightly on the larger side for grabbing and taking with me lots of places. A smaller device running iOS would be just the ticket, and I might still make a profit selling the iPad 2 (it has Don't Panic engraved on the back, which could limit its audience )

Ha ha ha. Theres some pretty vicious down-voting going on in this thread. From sky high to six feet under in less than thirty seconds.

Do the senior editors or owners get multiple votes?

Nope.

I would imagine that people are getting tired of your trolling. Or whining. Whatever it is, it doesn't add anything of value to the discussion in my opinion. OMG Ars covers Apple! OMG Ars reviews Apple products! OMG OMG OMG! Honestly, it was funny in 2007, sort of. But it's 2012. Time to Deal With It.

Ha ha ha. Theres some pretty vicious down-voting going on in this thread. From sky high to six feet under in less than thirty seconds.

Do the senior editors or owners get multiple votes?

Nope.

I would imagine that people are getting tired of your trolling. Or whining. Whatever it is, it doesn't add anything of value to the discussion in my opinion. OMG Ars covers Apple! OMG Ars reviews Apple products! OMG OMG OMG! Honestly, it was funny in 2007, sort of. But it's 2012. Time to Deal With It.

Pray tell: why is it that sometimes the pages come up with the voting arrows present; sometimes not. And today, I have the [B] [i]] [u] … tooltip-friendly editing aids above the edit box, whereas often I do not…

I can only blame either Jobs' RDF self-inundation or his progressing illness on the fact that he overlooked something this obvious when he made the now-infamous "7" tablets are DOA because they are too small and you'd have to saw your fingers in half to use them" remarks...

In interest of full context, you might note that the 7" comment was one of 5 “reasons we think the current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA, dead on arrival.” (My emphasis added.)

And of course, he was dead right. The crop of 7" competitors he was discussing two years ago were indeed utter failures in the market. Since then, of course software, screen resolutions, the OS versions, and even the purpose users put them to have all have progressed pretty dramatically.

Pray tell: why is it that sometimes the pages come up with the voting arrows present; sometimes not. And today, I have the [B] [i]] [u] … tooltip-friendly editing aids above the edit box, whereas often I do not…

Does my karma change that frequently?

There's no karma on Ars, so it sounds like a javascript problem perhaps. We are updating the site today, so there might be a new bug. I'd give it a day, and if it continues, report it to civis@ars. Sounds bizarre though.

Although people want the price to be $249 or $299, I think that Apple will never want to drop down to the Kindle/Nexus low-end market. Why would anyone get an iPod touch when you could get an iPad mini at the same price?

So I'm going against the grain and speculating that Apple will eliminate the $399 last-year's full-size iPad from its lineup and replace it with a retina iPad mini starting at $349 or $399. The surprise will be retina and hopefully people will be willing to pay that extra $100-150 over the rumored $249-299 price.

It looks like it will still be fundamentally hard to carry around without a bag, something that is not terribly easy to manage as a guy (think of the days of the 'man purse'). A 16:9 7 inch Android tablet can be fit into at least some pockets (like the inside pocket of some winter coats), and can sometimes be put in a back pocket for temporary storage. This model looks every bit as portable as the full sized iPad. It looks like I'll be investigating the Nexus 7 as my travel tablet and hope that Asus really has done a solid job with the hardware (poor quality Android hardware is what drove me to iOS in the first place).

Pray tell: why is it that sometimes the pages come up with the voting arrows present; sometimes not. And today, I have the [B] [i]] [u] … tooltip-friendly editing aids above the edit box, whereas often I do not…

Sounds like you're using the forum interface for the comments, which subscribers can do. None of the new features are supported for that, it's strictly 'off label' so to speak.

It looks like it will still be fundamentally hard to carry around without a bag, something that is not terribly easy to manage as a guy (think of the days of the 'man purse'). A 16:9 7 inch Android tablet can be fit into at least some pockets (like the inside pocket of some winter coats), and can sometimes be put in a back pocket for temporary storage. This model looks every bit as portable as the full sized iPad. It looks like I'll be investigating the Nexus 7 as my travel tablet and hope that Asus really has done a solid job with the hardware (poor quality Android hardware is what drove me to iOS in the first place).

So 7" tablets win because they fit in some pockets (awkwardly at best) sometime. What a stunning endorsement.

Do you really want to take a tablet with you everywhere? Why not just get a 5"+ smartphone, that will actually fit in just about all pockets and do anything a 7" Android tablet will.

Tablets aren't meant to be pocketable, they are for couch surfing and taking with you on trips (where you will have a bag to put it in).

This is one of the more ridiculous argument I have seen repeated about these devices.

After the novelty of showing your friends that you have a tablet in your pocket wears off, do you really think a significant number of people are going to walk around with 7" tablets in their pocket?

Most analysis of the reduction in screen size suggests it will not be a "Retina" display as on the iPad 3, but rather the same 1024×768 of the original iPad and iPad 2, to keep costs down.

.Hang on, if it's half the size and the same resolution as the iPad 1/2 then doesn't that actually make it retina by defintion (i.e. around 250-300 ppi)? I would be shocked if it's not a "retina" display.

Most analysis of the reduction in screen size suggests it will not be a "Retina" display as on the iPad 3, but rather the same 1024×768 of the original iPad and iPad 2, to keep costs down.

.Hang on, if it's half the size and the same resolution as the iPad 1/2 then doesn't that actually make it retina by defintion (i.e. around 250-300 ppi)? I would be shocked if it's not a "retina" display.

No, it is rumored to be 163 ppi, same as the non-Retinoid 3GS. The whole premise for this rumor is cutting down costs by using old leftover LCD sheets from discontinued iPhones and iPods.

Having both a nexus 7 and a kindle keyboard reader I'd be concerned of the form factor of an ipad mini. In a protective cover both the nexus and kindle fit perfectly in my purse/tote bag, there isn't a millimeter to spare. It's a generic off the shelf bag and wasn't sized for a tablet. Assuming most other bags use the same form factor the larger size of the ipad would not fit. Having to keep track of a loose item is not an option when you travel you are going to forget it somewhere, trust me on this. :-)

No mention of a gps which you'll need for standalone navigation, one of the reasons I picked the nexus 7 over the new amazon fire the other was the quad core processor.